Better Late Than Never
by Seoinage
Summary: Sakura tries to study. Kakashi disrupts her plans. Written for Moldycookies for her golden birthday! Warning, KakaSaku fluffiness ahead.


**Title:** Better Late Than Never

**Chapter:** One-shot/Complete

**Anime:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Kakashi x Sakura

**Rating:** T (oh, just in case)

**Disclaimer:** NARUTO © 2011 by MASASHI KISHIMOTO/SHUEISHA Inc and assorted corporations who bought various rights to it.

**A/N:** Dedicated to Moldycookies for her golden birthday that took place a few days ago. I wanted to get this up sooner, but certain events got in the way. In any case, hope you enjoy this, Moldy-chan! Happy happy, joy joy! :D

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Clad in her shorts and skirt and seated in a casual lotus position on the grass, Sakura never looked up even when he settled himself on the ground nearby with his trusty orange companion in hand. Not until a neatly wrapped parcel plopped upon the open scroll in her lap did her concentration falter and dazed green eyes focus upon something other than the medical text that recently occupied all her waking hours.

Slender hands picked up the mystery item for examination before shaking it tentatively. A muffled slide-and-thump could be heard, so she knew at least whatever it held inside was not breakable. "Uhm, Kakashi-sensei, what's this?"

"You know…That."

The medic blinked in bewilderment, taking in the newspaper swathed box. Even if the wrapping job could rival that of any well-trained store clerk, only one person she knew would use the daily paper in such a way. "I really don't."

"Just open it then." The languid, muffled drawl responded back as the masked nose remained buried itself in the open book. "Fastest way to find out."

Pink hair fell against her face as she tilted her head in consideration. A burgeoning excitement tickled her belly. _What could it hurt?_ Surprises could be fun, and none even so much as raised its head near her lately. Even the 'surprise' party given in her honor the other day turned out not to be one, the plan given away by the number one, loudmouth ninja in the village. When Ino found out, she gave Naruto quite the knuckle sandwich afterward. At the memory, Sakura's expression took on a fond cast but then darkened some as she also recalled that a certain person (in her present company), never showed up that evening. Not like she expected him to, but it would have been entertaining to see him dodging attempts to see his bare face.

Sakura's miffed feelings expressed themselves in the way she tore into the package, the Konoha Times falling away in pieces around her. She imagined the newspaper being the mask ever present on his face, cackling inwardly and taking perverse pleasure at the imagery. As if her feelings conveyed itself over to Kakashi (or maybe he realized she normally took great care in opening her presents), he shifted slightly to lower his arms some, almost like an attempt to cover vital organs.

As the lid to the box opened up to reveal what lay inside, the slightly hurt feelings quixotically changed into the more familiar exasperation and no little amusement. Okay, and maybe even something like affection for the man himself but still, what had he been thinking? Sakura examined the 'gift' while commenting dryly, "You shouldn't have, Sensei."

The rustling of another turned page whispered between them. "It was nothing, Sakura. Just thought it'd be helpful since you're always going on about needing more."

A pink-colored eyebrow twitched, and the box warped slightly under clenching hands. Having gained her majority a while ago, she would conduct herself as one. Still, she could not help her voice from taking on an even drier tone than before. "No, you really shouldn't have, Sensei." Sakura set the darned thing down next to her before she gave into the urge to chuck it back into his concealed face. "And I'm not _always going on_ about needing medic pouches and _never _about Icha Icha-inspired medic pouches! This isn't even practical!"

A gloved hand waved away her retort. "It's the thought that counts, right?"

She crossed her arms over her chest at that. "Two days late. And you know I'm never going to wear it. The orange clashes horribly with my outfit."

Another page. Another shift. A low hum of agreement or what have you sounded low in his chest. "You can always just wear it by itself. Give your patients something to look forward to in the hospital."

"Pervert!" Sakura growled and flicked a blade of grass at him. It would have landed in _Icha Icha_ except for his blocking hand. She harrumphed in displeasure, eyes narrowing. "So…?"

"So?" He parroted back.

"You know…That."

"Ah, that." A dark eye slowly lifted and took her in, all pouting and laughing, young and old, naïve and wise. The conundrum of Sakura. He smiled then as he offered sincerely like he did every year two days late, "Happy birthday, Sakura-chan."

With his words however, all past grievances were forgiven if not forgotten (the benefits of a long memory). The sun and moon and stars seemed to find their way inside of her and she glowed, smile shining and jade eyes twinkling. Happily, Sakura answered back like she always did two days after her birthday, "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei!"

While she savored their little tradition and his kind words, she closed her eyes for just for a second. Just a second, which was all it took to blink, that natural bodily reflex everyone indulged in more times in a day than anyone should try to count. (So she had been bored one day...) As her lashes swept down, he disappeared from her view. When they went up, he remained gone from where he once sat several arms length away. Sakura blinked again. _Where'd he go?_

As if to answer her question, a pristine twig of the season's first bloom of cherry blossoms appeared in front of her, as silent and sudden as his reappearance next to her. Kakashi now stood over her, bending at the waist to place the flowering twig within her reach.

_When had he moved?_ Sakura wondered in the back of her mind even while slowly, like in a dream, stretched a hand up toward his offering. The silver-haired man met her halfway to place the light pink blooms gently in her hand before straightening up.

A flurry of questions stampeded her mind. "Where…? How…? When…?" Spring just touched upon Konoha; it was slightly too early yet for cherry blossoms.

"It's the thought that counts, right?"

Something melted inside of her, and she hid her rising blush by holding the flowers up against her face. Eyes lowered, she inhaled the gentle and sweet fragrance of her namesake. A tingling awareness of _him_ – the _him-self_ not the teacher nor the captain, the _him-self_ never before experienced that hinted at something else – that awareness slipped without her permission to seed itself inside of her. Because of the newness of this feeling coinciding with the fact that it had been some time since anyone of the male gender presented her with flowers (patients checking out of the hospital and trying to offload their over abundances of their flowery get-well gifts did not count at all), Sakura settled her gaze awkwardly upon his sandalled feet to whisper shyly, the words almost dying a strangled breath in her throat, "Thank you."

Kakashi tipped his chin down, trying to catch her words. When he did discern them, he leaned forward again, voice pitched low for her only. "I almost didn't hear you, Sakura."

Startled, she finally looked at him directly, not resisting when he took the blossoms from her. Masculine fingers threaded their way smoothly into her hair, leisurely sliding the silky pink strands back while he tucked the flowers over a feminine ear with his other. The one still caught up in her tresses gently slid through the long, pink locks, his fingertips caressing the ends lightly.

"Since we're doing the whispering thing," he paused, face so close to hers that Sakura could feel his muffled breath brushing the side of her face, "You're welcome."

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_~FIN~_

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Moldy, moldy, I hope you liked this~ Happy birthday and happy spring as well!

**More Notes:** This is unbeta'd, so if you find something I need to fix, let me know!

-Seoi


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